The Study of Wang Yang-ming to Inquiry on the Great Leaning

As the Confucian classics, the Great Learning have had a considerable impact on the formation and development of Wang Yang-ming’s thought. We can say that Yang-ming was understanding and proving it in all his life. In the early years, Wang Yang-ming was deeply affected by the Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Xi and Er Cheng. He attached great importance to this issue, which was named the investigation of things in the Great Learning. After understanding the doctrine in Long-chang, he thoroughly understood the Purpose of the investigation of things and the extension of knowledge. And then he set up his own philosophy, which was different with ZhuXi. In the later years, his thought was more mature, and he proposed the purpose of the extension of Innate Knowledge. He put up the concept of "All in one" with his theory about innate knowledge. He used these two concepts to explain the Great Learning, and then he wrote the Questions on the Great Learning to describe this purpose in detail.This article is an entry point to the Questions on the Great Learning. In the first place, I will elaborate the writing process of the Questions on the Great Learning. Secondly, I will elaborate it’s main idea. Finally, I will compare it with the Interpretation of ZhuXi about the Great Learning, so we can identify the different explanations to the Great Learning between Zhu Xi and Wang Yang-ming.